The Sámi and the Scandinavians

The book includes contributions to an international interdisciplinary symposium which give a new perspective on Sámi-Scandinavian contacts with special reference not only to Scandinavian influence on Sámi culture, but also to Sámi impact on Scandinavian culture and languages. Sámi-Scandinavian contact has often been examined only with respect to its impact on the culture and society of the Sámi minority, pushed back to the northern edge of Scandinavia. This book, however, focuses on mutual influence. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Sámi in Scandinavian society and a possible Sámi influence on Scandinavian culture and society. The book shows that the traditional view of a one-way street from the Scandinavian to the Sámi peoples - though still predominating - has become shaky thanks to more recent historical, archaeological and linguistic research. The book explores questions on the history of Sámi- Scandinavian contact from an interdisciplinary perspective. The contributions from archaeologists, historians, folklorists, anthropologists, literary historians and linguists complement one another and give a differentiated picture of Sámi-Scandinavian contacts. The articles by Inger Zachrisson, Evert Baudou, Tryggve Sköld, Else Mundal and Tove Bull, amongst others, present different theories and different points of view and allow the reader to understand the complicated problems of cultural exchange and language contact in Scandinavian history. The theory of Sámi contribution to the history of Scandinavian identity can be regarded as a novelty in Sámi-Scandinavian contact research. However, the book should appeal not only to specialists in the above mentioned fields but also to a broader public interested in cultural and language contact.